Elephant herd invades Coonoor town, foresters keep close eye

UDHAGAMANDALAM: Tension prevails in Coonoor as a herd of five elephants has strayed into the town. The herd that included two calves has been roaming near the town for the past two days. Forest officials are watching its movement. The pachyderms are apparently attracted by fresh shoots of bamboo and vegetable crops on a nearby private farm.
“The herd was seen near the Coonoor bus stand in the early hours of Monday. It strayed into a private property.It is really scary to go out. The forest department should take proper action to chase them into the forest,“ said K Mohan, a resident of Coonoor.
The elephants damaged the fence of a private property near Old Spencer's in Coonoor and invaded a private land in the Nanjappa Chatthiram area that has a water body . They stayed in the pool for a long time on Tuesday. Forest officials chased them into the nearby forest area. But they were found on the fringes of the town on Wednesday. “We are constantly watching the movement of the jumbos. As the herd comprises two calves too, we are very careful when chasing them. Otherwise, the mother elephant would go wild,“ said Periasamy, forest range officer.
Two teams, comprising 10 members each, have been formed by the forest department in tackling the elephant herd.
“The jumbos are yet to be chased deep into the reserve forest area. They are roaming near the Nanjappa Chattiram area. They are attracted by fresh bamboo shoots and vegetable crops in that area,“ said Periasamy, adding, “Eventually, they return to the place for fodder.“
According to the range officer, there had been no reports of elephants straying into Coonoor town in the past. However, last year, a herd of had elephants passed through Nanjappa Chattiram while on their move. “We are working roundthe-clock to monitor the movement of the herd of elephants. The animals will be shooed away into the reserve forest soon,“ said Periasamy .